Valley Yarns WEBS Emerging Designer Got You Covered Hat and

Valley Yarns WEBS Emerging Designer Got You Covered Hat and Mittens

Project Overview

The Got You Covered Hat and Mittens set is a coordinated knitting project designed by Marcy Vandale, featuring complementary colorwork patterns in both garments. The mittens showcase small and large motifs in stranded colorwork, while the hat band features the larger motif design. This matching set combines warmth and visual interest, making it an ideal gift for teachers, dog walkers, bus drivers, and teenage babysitters.

What Is Being Made

• Mittens: Available in three sizes with circumferences of approximately 7, 7.5, and 8 inches, and a length of approximately 12 inches. The mittens feature thumb openings and are worked with colorwork motifs throughout.
• Hat: A finished circumference of 22 inches, designed to coordinate with the mittens through shared colorwork elements, particularly the larger motif featured on the hat band.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several advanced-beginner level techniques to create a polished, professional-looking finished garment:

• Stranded Colorwork: The primary decorative technique, using two colors per round to create small and large motifs. The pattern notes that knitters should always hold the lightest color dominant or in the left hand when working colors, and carry yarn not in use up the inside of the work to avoid creating loops that could catch fingers.
• Worked in the Round: Both the mittens and hat are constructed using circular needles and double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating seamless garments.
• Bottom-Up Construction: The mittens and hat are worked from the cuff upward, allowing knitters to try on the garment as it progresses.
• Stripes and Motifs: The colorwork creates both striped sections and distinct motif patterns, with the hat band featuring a larger motif that echoes elements found in the mittens.
• Seamless Shaping: The pattern includes lifted increases (LLinc and LRinc), techniques popularized by Cat Bordhi, to shape the mittens and hat crown without creating visible seams.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch: The primary stitch used for the body of both mittens and hat, providing a smooth, classic fabric.
• Knit and Purl Stitches: Basic knit and purl stitches are combined in the cuff sections to create texture and structure.
• Lifted Increases: Used for seamless shaping in the thumb and crown areas, these increases blend smoothly into the surrounding fabric.

Materials

Yarn: The pattern calls for Valley Yarns Northampton, a 100% wool yarn with 247 yards per 100 grams. Four colors are required, with one skein of each: Twilight Heather (color A), Medium Grey (color B), Raspberry Heather (color C), and White (color D). The yarn's yardage and weight provide excellent stitch definition for colorwork and sufficient warmth for winter accessories.

Needles: The pattern requires US size 7 and US size 8 needles, with specific lengths for different construction methods. For the mittens, 40-inch circular needles are needed in each size, along with double-pointed needles in the smaller size for the thumb. For the hat, 16-inch circular needles are required in both sizes, with double-pointed needles in the smaller size for the crown. Knitters should choose needles appropriate to their preferred method of circular knitting and adjust sizes as needed to achieve the specified gauge.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 5.5 stitches and approximately 7 rows per 1 inch in both stockinette stitch and colorwork. Knitters are advised to swatch colorwork using the larger needle size and stockinette stitch using the smaller needle size to ensure accurate gauge before beginning the project. Proper gauge is essential for achieving the correct finished measurements and ensuring the mittens and hat fit appropriately.

Pattern Notes

The designer emphasizes that the simple colorwork patterns use only two colors each round, making them accessible to knitters of any skill level despite the advanced-beginner difficulty rating. The pattern includes a reference to a photo tutorial of lifted increases by Cat Bordhi for knitters unfamiliar with this shaping technique. Knitters should take care not to twist the cast